​LATEST STORIES

Head girl Lotte Thomas and Head boy Harry Goodwin took on the responsibility of organising Bryanston School’s annual fundraising weekend 2018 and invited Children on the Edge to be a part of the event. After reading about Children on the Edge in the Times Christmas Appeal, they got in touch.

They set a staggering target of raising £10,000 over the weekend, which began with a school assembly on the Friday afternoon. Lotte and Harry presented to their class mates and the rest of the school about the important work Children on the Edge do in supporting vulnerable and forgotten children. With everyone on the same page regarding the cause, the school was ready to start the weekend.

Assassins, Bacon Butties, Baklava and a sit-down dinner

The fundraising fun began on Friday night with ‘The Assassins Game’ which Harry said, as well as being fun, ensured that everyone got involved in donating. On Sunday morning, parents were invited to join in, but not before all pupils were invited for a special treat of bacon butties. Activities included an international stall selling sweet treats and ornaments from international student’s home countries. The pupils also held a photo exhibition which showcased their talent. Visitors could pay to vote for the photographer they felt deserved the title of ‘Best photographer’.

Over 70 parents then came together for a delicious lunch, waited on by volunteer students. Eloise Armstrong (Fundraising Manager at Children on the Edge) introduced parents to the charity and explained where the money raised would go.

Eloise said; “It was fantastic to be invited along to the lunch and to be able to say a few words of thanks. The parents were incredibly receptive and interested in the work of Children on the Edge and after the lunch were eager to show their support”.

Who let the dogs out?

After lunch, many parents made a dash to their cars to collect their dogs who were excitedly waiting to take part of the first Bryanston School Dog show. Costing £10 to enter, categories ranged from ‘Most fabulous fur’ to ‘Dog that looks most like owner’. Big and small pooches took part as the sun shone brightly and the dogs paraded their owners round the school fountain.

Harry said how “Having lots of happy, fluffy dogs at school also brought the student body out in full, and it snowballed into a huge community occasion”.

Strutting your stuff

One of the biggest challenges the students undertook was organising a themed fashion show which spanned almost 100 years, starting with the roaring 1920s and ending with the latest fashion trends of 2018.

100 donated outfits were sold after the event, which was presented by Head Boy Harry, whose excellent fashion knowledge had the crowd cheering and clapping. Prefect Lucy Ferguson said “Most importantly everyone had lots of fun, with a really vibrant event”.

Tea, coffee and scones were then served, accompanied by a beautiful acoustic jazz and followed by two auctions which raised over £3,000.

When asked why they chose to fundraise for Children on the Edge, Lotte said; “We thought it particularly significant that Children on the Edge work with groups already formed in areas, in order to get a local insight of the region in question, but also to identify where help is needed most and prioritise this.

​We also wanted to support a charity that was small enough that our funds could make a significant difference, and used as efficiently as possible. After finding out more about the minimal core costs and maximum charitable costs, we knew that Children on the Edge was a brilliant charity to support”

Lucy spoke on behalf of all prefects and volunteers involved when she praised the incredible work involved in the weekend, saying “I believe that the sheer hard work of all the prefects, especially our amazing Head Girl and Head Boy, Lotte and Harry, meant that the weekend was organised effectively and we were all able to enjoy it”.

Despite a fundraising target of £10,000, it now looks like the weekend will be raising somewhere in the total of £16,000. A major portion of which will be going specifically to our work with displaced Kachin children in the mountain camps of Myanmar.

Eloise said “On behalf of Children on the Edge we are so incredibly grateful to the students, teachers and parents of all those who took part to make the fundraising weekend possible.”

If you think your school could get involved in fundraising for Children on the Edge, just get in touch with Eloise or Abs by e-mailing fundraising@childrenontheedge.org. or calling the office on 01243 538530.

School’s out for summer. But you’ll no doubt be seeing lots of ‘Back to School’ branding in the shops and online; as many of you think about getting children kitted out for their return back to school in September.

But getting ‘Back to School’ for the children we work with is a lot more complicated than just buying pens, uniforms and packed lunch boxes. These children face enormous barriers to getting aneducation, but we help to make it possible.

We need your support so we can keep getting some of the most vulnerable children around the world, back to school and it's why we've launched our Back to School campaign.

A small donation can not only fund things like pens, pencils, bags and uniforms, but can also rent classrooms, pay teachers and fund training. Make a donation here.

How can you help?

1. Buy for Two

If you are buying a new pencil case or school bag over the summer for a child, could you spare the cost of another and #BuyforTwo? We're encouraging parents, caregivers and children to donate the amount you spend on a new item for the school year to Children on the Edge, to help a vulnerable child get back to school.

Don't forget to take a picture of the item and let us how much you're donating by sharing it with us on social media with the hashtag #BuyforTwo. Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram​​2. Buy through Give as You Live

If you are planning to buy 'Back to school' supplies online, sign up to Give as You Live to raise money for us for free! By shopping at a selected retailers using online, we get a small donation, without costing you a penny. ​Every penny counts, so even spending £5 online at Amazon, Tesco or WH Smith can make a difference. Especially if we all do it.

For example, just£1 can provide four days of education for a child at our Early Childhood Development Centre in Loco, Uganda.

3. Make a Regular Donation

A regular donation to Children on the Edge can help to fund our work to get children back to school throughout the whole year. ​This means you'll be directly supporting a vulnerable child to get a high quality education, in a safe, child friendly environment.

For example £10 can provide books and pencils to help educate three children for a whole school year at one of our schools in Bangladesh, India or Lebanon. So throughout the year, a monthly donation of £3 can go a very long way.

How we help

Your support can help us get more children Back to School this year and continue to deliver the best quality education for children in some of the most vulnerable circumstances. Can you make a donation today?

​ 17 year old Abby Brooks has spent a week in our Chichester office on work experience. She’s written a blog about her week with us...

I am a student at nearby, Bishop Luffa Sixth Form and I’m studying A Levels in geography, media and maths. Throughout the year in my human geography lessons I touched on topics such as border control issues and refugees which sparked a strong passion and interest within me, inspiring me to learn more. I have set myself a goal to study International Development at University as I believe it will be the stepping stone in finding a career that combines my interest in Human Geography with my passion for charity.

When my school offered the opportunity of a week of work experience I began to research local international charities and was surprised when I came across Children on the Edge right on my doorstep. As most international charities are located in London, I was delighted when they allowed me to join them in the office for a week, as I knew it was an exciting and rare opportunity to find out how a charity is run and gain some vital experience.

I was warmly welcomed by the COTE team on Monday morning and given an interesting and insightful introduction of the charity’s history and current projects. I learnt about the different roles within the office and how each member of the team contributes to the smooth operation of the charity. This opened my eyes to the range of jobs available within a charity organisation, including roles that I had never heard of before such as Operations Manager - who makes sure all the work is kept legal.

Throughout the rest of the day I generally helped with tasks in the office such as sorting through old video tapes of previous COTE projects footage and transferring them onto DVD disks for easier storage. I also explored the COTE website and created a document answering questions such as how easy it was to navigate and suggesting improvements.

Abby with a selection of videos from Children on the Edge's early days

Tuesday began with creating thank you letters to local shops and businesses who kindly donated prizes for COTE’s tombola at Priory Park Festival; I was able to not only write the letters but also hand deliver them which I enjoyed as I was representing the charity and got to personally thank the generous businesses in our community. Other tasks included documenting the COTE’s search results to give them an idea of how easy it is to find their website online, and to update the press page on their website by taking press clippings.The highlight of the week was Wednesday, as I was given the opportunity to sit in a ‘COMMs’ meeting where the team updated one another and planned for upcoming events. A clip about one of COTE’s projects in India was shown and I learnt about the ‘Untouchable’ Dalit children. This really impacted me and made me fully realise the extent to which the help of this charity is desperately needed. I was then set an exciting challenge by my supervisor Amy, to create a presentation which could be used in encouraging other schools to fundraise for Children on the Edge.

I spent the rest of Wednesday and Thursday creating a power point presentation, following their brand image which I really enjoyed as I could express my passion for media and design, as well as broadening my own knowledge and understanding of the charity in the process.

On Friday, to conclude the week I was able to present my presentation to the team which was beneficial as it developed my presenting skills and confidence when speaking to an audience.Overall my week with Children on the Edge has been impacting and inspiring, as I have expanded my knowledge of international issues through researching COTE’s projects in India, Bangladesh, Uganda, Burma and Lebanon.

​Learning how an organisation can reach the children on the very edge of society and change their lives has further encouraged me to study international development at University and hopefully work for an international charity in the future.

Local student, Megan McCulloch, aged 16, from Bourne Community College in Southbourne has been included on a prestigious list of winners as part of the 2017 Diana Awards’ Roll of Honour, to honour her fundraising efforts for Children on the Edge.

Megan was jointly nominated by Children on the Edge and the school for leading their Charity Committee to raise £1,471 throughout 2015-2016 with a range of different fundraising activities.

The Diana Awards are set up to celebrate and reward exceptional young people who embody Princess Diana’s qualities of kindness, compassion and service. To celebrate Princess Diana’s Birthday this 20th Anniversary year, the 2017 Roll of Honour, which included Megan's name, was announced over the weekend.

Megan said: “I cannot express how honoured I feel to have been given the opportunity to help those less fortunate than myself. It was a pleasure to lead a team of great students. I have been inspired and supported by an outstanding member of staff who guided me through my journey of fundraising and leadership - I am filled with joy at becoming a Diana Award winner!”

Fundraising Manager at Children on the Edge, Eloise Armstrong said: “Megan has been a fantastic ambassador for Children on the Edge within Bourne Community College. We have been impressed by her pro-active leadership; innovative fundraising ideas and her communication with our fundraising staff. As a small charity, the impact of Megan’s fundraising has been significant and timely, enabling us to provide ‘on the edge’ safe spaces and education for Syrian refugee children in Lebanon and Rohingya refugee children fleeing Burma and living in Bangladesh.”

Megan managed all aspects of the relationship between us and the school; arranging visits and presentations from the Children on the Edge staff team, coordinating the fundraising events, and delivering assemblies to share the impact of the total money raised.

Megan brought leadership and energy in her role as chair of Bourne Community College’s charity committee and committed time each week to bring together a team representing all year groups. She coordinated all year round fundraising which included a school-wide sports day featuring unique sports played in the countries where we work. As well as the Easter “Children on the Egg” challenge.

The money raised by Megan and the school can help provide education in an informal tented school in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon for eight Syrian refugee children for a whole year.

Children on the Edge rely completely on voluntary donations and receives no institutional or government funding for their programme in Lebanon, which makes this support all the more vital for the charity during the worsening refugee crisis in Syria.

​Phil Harper, Student Voice Coordinator said: “I have loved seeing Megan grow in her leadership skills. She knew how to lead staff and students with enthusiasm and purpose. I now feel genuine pride at Megan's achievements and the young person she has become - courageous, resilient and compassionate.”

Head Teacher, Yvonne Watkins said: "All of us at Bourne Community College are delighted with the Diana Award for Megan. She has worked tirelessly as Chair of our Charity Group. She is an exceptional young student, embodying all the qualities of kindness, compassion and service that are reflected in the Diana Award. She has worked selflessly, always aiming to inspire and motivate other students and staff to raise awareness and money for those less fortunate than themselves. She truly deserves this wonderful Diana Award.”

Megan will collect her Award at a special Ceremony later this year.

The Diana Award was set up in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her belief that young people have the power to change the world for the better. It is committed to fostering, inspiring and developing positive change in the lives of young people through practical social action. Today The Diana Award has the support of both her sons The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

All the award winners – who come from every region in the UK and USA, Canada, UAE, India, Belize, Australia, Greece, Indonesia, Croatia, Liberia, Jersey, New Zealand, Indonesia and Liberia – have had a monumental impact on society and lives of those in their communities. Many of them only know Princess Diana as a historical figure but they carry the honour of the Diana Award with pride and admiration for whose memory it was set up in.

We visited the school in September 2016 and spoke to the staff and students about our project in Lebanon, providing education for 500 Syrian refugee children through our tented schools in Bekaa Valley. We spoke to the young students about what it was like to be a refugee and tried to get them to think about what life might be like for a Syrian refugee family who had to flee their home because of the ongoing conflict. The children were asked to think about what items they might take to help ensure their survival; things like like blankets, passports, money, a torch, first aid kit and a mobile phone.

This visit from Children on the Edge in September kicked off Shellingfords' fundraising for the year ahead. But teacher, Alex Drew was behind all the schools' fundraising activities. His family foundation set up in memory of his father (the Simon Drew Foundation) kindly provide financial support for our work in Lebanon, and he was keen for the school to get behind Children on the Edge too. Alex has led the schools fundraising which included a 'Self-Portrait' project, 'The Ultimate Sport Challenge' and a community picnic.

For the first of their activities, the 'Shellingford Self-Portrait Project', the children drew pictures of themselves which parents were able to order as keychains, framed portraits of fridge magnets, with all proceeds coming to Children on the Edge.

In February, staff and pupils took part in a series of sponsored sports activities called 'The Ultimate Sports Challenge'. The activities were linked to what Syrian refugees might have experience on their journey from their war-torn homes to refugee camps in Lebanon. Every child and teacher was asked to raise money with a specially created sponsorship form.

Tuesday: The Run

The whole school, including all the adults tried to run as many laps as possible in the school grounds, with 15 laps equalling 1 mile. The whole school ran an incredible 328 miles which they worked out as being as far as Shellingford to Paris, or the same distance from Aleppo, Syria to the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon.

Thursday: The Hike

Pupils took part in a hike in the local area. On the day each pupil brought a backpack with essentials they might need on a long journey. The children had been learning about refugees and thinking about what families and children might need to take with them to survive if they had to leave their homes in hurry, not knowing if they would come back. Despite storm Doris stopping them walking through the woods, they were able to walk through a mile long field and the village.

Friday: The Scramble

On Friday, the school organised a challenging obstacle in the playing fields. The obstacles were designed to be similar to what a refugee child might have endured when travelling across an unknown landscape. There were water and mud features and everyone got really stuck in.

Sunday: The Climb

For staff and families who were able to, the school finished their 'Ultimate Sports Challenge' with a climb up nearby White Horse Hill. The climb was related to a refugee's journey to hopeful safety.

The schools' summer fundraising activity involved a community picnic which took place on Friday 26th May. Local residents were invited to join staff and pupils on a gloriously sunny lunchtime. The picnic raised another £127 to add to their total.

The parents at Shellingford Primary School have also been doing an incredible job of raising money through the 'Friends of Shellingford Primary School'. Their Spring Ball on the 20th May raised an amazing £806.50.

We were particularly touched to hear about year 5 pupil, Samantha's fundraising efforts. She independently organised for her family to make donations for chores completed at home. She raised a very impressive £43.90 with her hard work.

Over the past 3 years Children on the Edge have been working in partnership with Lebanese NGO - Mercy Foundation within the refugee communities in the Bekaa Valley, providing quality, child friendly education for refugee children who are unable to access government or UN school provision.

These tent schools, in addition to a school based out of a Community Centre in Beirut, currently provide education for 500 children aged 6 -12. They are safe places with a trusted adult presence. Where other projects of this kind bring in teachers from the outside, this model raises up teachers from within the Syrian refugee community.

Brand new for this year, over the Easter holidays, families have the chance to explore Chichester City Centre and enjoy Montezuma’s Chocolate at the end!

Following on from 10 successful years running an Easter Trail in Priory Park, this year Children on the Edge are introducing something with a difference. In partnership with Montezuma’s Chocolates they have arranged a special treasure trail around the centre of Chichester that families can go on anytime that suits throughout the school Easter break.

The trail starts in Eastgate square and winds its way around Chichester town centre ending at Montezuma’s Chocolate shop where every participant will receive a bag of chocolate goodies!

Families can use the clues to make their way around the route, tackling quiz questions and challenges along the way. The idea is that treasure seekers can take it at a leisurely pace or challenge themselves to a whistle-stop tour. The route is approximately a mile long and children may well discover some delights of Chichester that they’ve never seen before.

All profits go to the work of Children on the Edge, helping some of the most vulnerable children around the world.

To enter simply visit www.childrenontheedge.org/easter where you can find out more about the event and purchase your trail quiz sheets. Entry is £4 per child and on sign up all entrants will receive an email containing the Trail Information sheet and one code per entrant.

The trail can be completed anytime between Saturday 28 March and Sunday 12 April. On completing your trail, treasure seekers simply present their codes to staff in the Montezumas store, East Street, to receive their chocolate!

Montezuma’s will also be running their usual ‘Design an egg’ competition, where the winning design will be made into a real chocolate egg. Entry forms have gone out to local schools and are also available at the Montezuma’s Store, at Children on the Edge office, and downloadable from the Children on the Edge website.

Last weekend, James and Will from Cranleigh Preparatory School cycled from the doors of their school, 32 miles to Shoreham Beach to raise money for our projects.

The boys had decided that before they left school they wanted to raise some money, mark the occasion and leave with a bang. Children on the Edge had become close to their hearts as we are currently charity of the year at Cranleigh Prep and they the students have been learning all about us and our work.

After finishing their common entrance exams and enjoying a well-earned week away in Cornwall the boys set off from the front entrance of Cranleigh prep school on a beautiful sunny day. After 32 miles and an average speed of 9.2 mph they both arrived at Shoreham Beach.

James and Will have managed to raise £291.25 so far, smashing their target of £200, and you can still donate on their JustGiving page. We would like to say a huge thank you, for not only raising money for us but also for your passion and enthusiasm in thinking of and carrying out a challenge to help vulnerable children around the world.

The wonderful students and staff at Cranleigh Prep have been very busy this term so watch this space for more stories!

As long term supporters of Children on the Edge, over the years the pupils of Dorset House School have found many ingenious ways of raising funds for us. Last Friday, for the second year running they decided to set off on a 7-mile sponsored walk across the South Downs.

A few days before the walk we went into the school to run some workshops about children’s rights. The children also had the chance to learn about the plight of over a million Syrian refugees in Lebanon and what they could help.

On the morning of the walk the whole school arrived at Whiteways car park in the beautiful sunshine, ready to take on the journey. To add in an extra challenge for the children, each group were asked to carry a big container of water from the start to our lunch meeting place. This meant they were carrying additional weight for about 3 miles. True to form the groups found ways of sharing the weight between them so no one person had to carry it alone.

Our Community Fundraiser, Sarah Collison went along to the walk and said "The children had some fantastic methods of getting the water to the meeting point, ranging from tying it to a stick and having one person on either side, to wrapping it in a raincoat and having a child hold each sleeve. Whichever technique they used, every group got all the water to the meeting place without loosing any en-route!".

At lunch the water was divided out between everyone and the group had a discussion about how much water you might need to carry, to provide enough for a family for a whole day. They talked about how this is what a huge number of children around the world have to do each day.

Overall a great day was had by all and already a lot of money has been raised. All proceeds from the day are going to help children at the Child Friendly Space we support in Uganda and Syrian refugee children attending the new Camp Schools in Lebanon.

We'd like to say a huge thank you to the staff and students at Dorset House, not only for raising money, but for taking such a keen interest in the lives of other children across the world. If you would like to help this brilliant school with their challenge, and reward all of the children’s hard work, please donate now by texting EDGE97£10 to 70070 to donate £10. You can also donate via their Just Giving page.

If your school is interested in working with Children on the Edge, give Sarah a call at the office on 01243 538530 or drop her an e-mail.

240 local children came down to Priory Park on Easter Saturday to celebrate a decade of spring time fun and learning at our Anniversary Easter Chocolate Trail.

This family event has been held annually by Children on the Edge and sponsored by Montezumas Chocolates for the last ten years. Each year has presented local children with a different theme, twist or challenge, and this anniversary event was no exception.

To celebrate 10 years of the event and 10 years of Children on the Edge being based in Chichester, we presented an array of interactive stands, beautifully illustrated by artist Hannah George, to highlight 10 children’s rights that we support around the world.

Through these stands the children encountered a thumb print’ map of the UK, a beautiful tipee from Bell Tent Parties, a ‘find the words’ ball pool, a teddy bear hospital and (possibly the most exciting) they collected delicious Montezuma’s chocolates along the way.

After the trail there was more to enjoy with a bunting clad vintage style tearoom, candy floss stall, ‘Egg-lympics’ challenge, Bouncy castle and ’Chairo-planes’ fairground ride. All this alongside the usual array of refreshments, crafts and stalls.

Children from schools around the area had also been designing their own Easter eggs for the Easter Trail Competition, in order to win a Montezuma’s chocolate egg with their design on it. The two talented winners were Mary from Kingsham Primary with her ‘cheeky face’ design, and Zara from Birdham Primary with her Easter rabbit design!

Ben Wilkes, Head of UK at Children on the Edge said ’This has been a fantastic way to celebrate 10 years of a great local event, we’re proud to be able to work alongside Montezuma’s for this time and glad that we can work in some of the most difficult situations across the globe, whilst having such a wonderful support base in our home town”.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Montezuma’s, to the huge number of local businesses who came along or donated prizes and finally to our wonderful group of volunteers for making the day possible.

Kick starting with a Christmas Charity Fair, Form 6 at Cranleigh Prep school have been busy fundraising for Children on the Edge this school year.

Bea and Sam, the school’s Charity Prefects told us a little bit about what they got up to:

“In the weeks leading up to the Christmas Fair we made many things to sell to raise money for Children on the Edge, such as fudge, Chocolate crackle (with many different flavours), apple chutney from the apples in our orchard and greetings cards. One of our teachers kindly made friendship bracelets from coloured bands. On the day of the fair all of the charity committee took part in a rota to man the stall as it was very busy. In the end we made £500 for Children on the Edge and had a great time!”

In addition to the amazing amount raised at the fair (pictured below left), there are more plans in the pipeline to help raise even more vital funds for our projects around the world.

A Krispy Kreme donut sale will be tempting the other students at school to part with their cash as well as a summer fayre, mufti day and an end of term service and concert. We can’t wait to hear the updates as the school year progresses!

One of the Housemasters at Cranleigh Prep is going one step further and has decided to support Form 6’s fundraising endeavours by taking on a huge challenge of his own. Dudley Manning (pictured below right) is taking part in the Hardmoors 160 run which is an endurance race of epic proportions. The challenge is to run 160 miles in just 48 hours. Dudley explained why he has taken on the ultra marathon:

“This may seem tough - but it is nothing in comparison to the life long suffering that millions of children around the world are going through right now. This year, Form 6 have chosen to support the “Children on the Edge” charity, which exists to help forgotten children, living in barren and dangerous places across the globe, and helps restore the ingredients of a full childhood by generating hope, life, colour and fun. This is part of our attempt to raise awareness and help young boys and girls all around the world.”

If you wish to support and encourage Dudley in his challenge, please visit his JustGiving page.

A huge thank you to Form 6 at Cranleigh Prep School as well as the rest of the staff and students. The money and awareness that you are raising really does make the world of difference to forgotten children living in some of the most vulnerable communities.

The Christmas fair was packed out with supporters.

Housemaster Dudley Manning will be running 160 miles in 48 hours to raise funds.